Sprint offering $100 gift card with iPhone 4S purchase, Apple matches with store credit
Sprint is now giving a $100 pre-paid gift card to new iPhone 4S buyers, and Business Insider has confirmed that Apple will be matching the deal by offering an Apple Store credit for the same amount.
The new incentive, the second in as many weeks from Sprint, comes ahead of an expected Sept. 12 launch of the next-generation iPhone and has prompted Apple to make good on its promise to match iPhone pricing from major resellers, Business Insider has learned.
Sprint last week slashed the price of Apple's iPhone 4S to $149 not including a $36 activation fee waiver, a move followed by other sellers including Target and Best Buy. Apple subsequently instructed its stores to match the discount prices being offered by the major retailers, limited to $49 for the iPhone 4 and $149 for the iPhone 4S.
With the new $100 American Express pre-paid card, $149 discount, activation fee waiver and free shipping, Sprint has effectively whittled down the cost of buying an iPhone 4S to $50. There are stipulations, however, as the added gift card bonus is online only and lasts until Aug. 26. It is unclear if Apple will continue to offer the store credits after Sprint's sale ends.
The new incentive, the second in as many weeks from Sprint, comes ahead of an expected Sept. 12 launch of the next-generation iPhone and has prompted Apple to make good on its promise to match iPhone pricing from major resellers, Business Insider has learned.
Sprint last week slashed the price of Apple's iPhone 4S to $149 not including a $36 activation fee waiver, a move followed by other sellers including Target and Best Buy. Apple subsequently instructed its stores to match the discount prices being offered by the major retailers, limited to $49 for the iPhone 4 and $149 for the iPhone 4S.
With the new $100 American Express pre-paid card, $149 discount, activation fee waiver and free shipping, Sprint has effectively whittled down the cost of buying an iPhone 4S to $50. There are stipulations, however, as the added gift card bonus is online only and lasts until Aug. 26. It is unclear if Apple will continue to offer the store credits after Sprint's sale ends.
Comments
Nice to see what choice and competition is doing for iPhone prices.
Originally Posted by Patranus
Nice to see what choice and competition is doing for iPhone prices.
"It's a shame Apple wants to get rid of all competition on the phone side just as competition is finally heating up on the carrier side."
they must be sitting on a stock of iPhone4 usually we see availability dropping as we near a new launch. Different tacked this time around. So the 3 series will die off now, 4 will be come the low end phone.
Seriously? Anybody is still using Sprint, the "No Network"?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Maestro64
they must be sitting on a stock of iPhone4 usually we see availability dropping as we near a new launch. Different tacked this time around. So the 3 series will die off now, 4 will be come the low end phone.
Actually the promotion being mentioned is iPhone 4S, not iPhone 4.
iPhone 4S for essentially $50 is really cheap because it's still the current generation (for another month). I mean, we used to expect the iPhone 4S to drop to $99 when the next iPhone is announced, but right now you can get it for another $50 cheap, with no activation fee, which is really a steal.
Of course if you're not optimistic, you can combine this news with the rumor layoff as really bad signs for AAPL.
Originally Posted by drobforever
Actually the promotion being mentioned is iPhone 4S, not iPhone 4.
It does say 'any smartphone', though.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LordJohnWhorfin
Seriously? Anybody is still using Sprint, the "No Network"?
I sure am and couldn't be happier. I get great voice reception and very good data speeds as well on my iPhone 4S. I pay $50 a month for truly unlimited everything. Please explain to me why I should switch to another carrier and pay more than twice the price when I get great service on Sprint. No doubt Sprint service can suck in some areas, but so can AT&T, Verizon, and all carriers. But if you live in an area with good Sprint service they are hard to beat in terms of what they offer on their plans.
Apple should just give away the iPhone, they will get back tenfold the cost in what it cost to produce it in App Store sales to the device.
Most people purchase more than $400 in Apps, Music, Movies, and Games from the App Store once they have an iOS device.
It would have been nice to let Sprint have this for a few days, they need the business. Would have set them up to sell more 5's in the future.
$50 is an awesome deal for a 4s. Can't go wrong at that price.
Quote:
Originally Posted by WardC
Apple should just give away the iPhone, they will get back tenfold the cost in what it cost to produce it in App Store sales to the device.
Most people purchase more than $400 in Apps, Music, Movies, and Games from the App Store once they have an iOS device.
Source?
I have an iPad and an iPhone and we've spent 21 dollars in apps, 10 in movies, and about 50 in music. Considering apple makes 30% they are no where near covering a free phone for us.
Also, since I have a mac and old fashioned iPods, there is no way to count music in there with the phone.
Who'da thunk it? Apple is engaged in a price war.
Not really since this puts folks on a two year contract so they won't be getting iPhone '5’ sales in the future, but '6’ or even ’7‘ sales.
Quote:
Originally Posted by noexpectations
Competition is good. However, this really shows that Sprint is desperate to sell more iphones.....they have to. They have 30 million in their "warehouse" right now that they have to unload in 4 years. As of today, they are behind. Once the next iPhone comes out with LTE, who would choose Sprint? Virtually non-existant LTE coverage.
Compared to Verizon, everyone has a pretty small LTE map at the moment. But what matters is what they will have after the LTE iPhone is released. Below is the current August Sprint LTE map. By the end of this year they will cover about 150 million pops with LTE and by 2013 their entire 3G map will have LTE. The great thing about LTE is you will want to use data a lot more often. So with unlimited LTE that is cheaper on Sprint vs. only a few GB's for more money on AT&T or Verizon, Why not choose Sprint?
Since I live in Atlanta which is fully covered with LTE by Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint it is an easy choice. Stay with Sprint and save a lot of money and have unlimited LTE with my next iPhone or pay more money for less data.
Is Apple trying to kill Sprint?
Sprint's clearly offering the discount to get rid of the billions oworth of iPhones they have laying around, and hopefully save their company, then Apple comes in, and does the same removing Sprint's advantage. whatta dick move, Apple.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gwmac
Compared to Verizon, everyone has a pretty small LTE map at the moment. But what matters is what they will have after the LTE iPhone is released. Below is the current August Sprint LTE map. By the end of this year they will cover about 150 million pops with LTE and by 2013 their entire 3G map will have LTE. The great thing about LTE is you will want to use data a lot more often. So with unlimited LTE that is cheaper on Sprint vs. only a few GB's for more money on AT&T or Verizon, Why not choose Sprint?
Since I live in Atlanta which is fully covered with LTE by Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint it is an easy choice. Stay with Sprint and save a lot of money and have unlimited LTE with my next iPhone or pay more money for less data.
It's not exactly like that, Sprint doesn't have 30 million iPhones <bold>4S's</bold> laying around, they have a contranct that states they will buy 30 million iPhones over a period of four years, so when the iPhone 5 comes out, Sprint won't be behind at all like you just implied.
Originally Posted by marcusj0015
Is Apple trying to kill Sprint?
Sprint's clearly offering the discount to get rid of the billions oworth of iPhones they have laying around, and hopefully save their company, then Apple comes in, and does the same removing Sprint's advantage. whatta dick move, Apple.
Perhaps instead of giving a nearly meaningless and certainly marginal and underhanded discount Sprint could spend the money from regular sales and improve their network in time for the release of the LTE iPhone?
How is it an underhanded discount, Apple still gets the same money either way, hell if Apple didn't offer the discount, they would've made more money, therefore Apple dislikes Sprint for some reason. Sprint NEEDS customers, savings motivate people to spend like nothing else.
And how Sprint chooses to spend it's money, is their choice, what if them cutting prices on the iPhone to get more customers leads to more money to spend on their network? pretty solid strategy.